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Publications

Publications by CPES

2026

A Power-Conditioned Pricing Electricity Tariff to Restore Consumption Incentives under Revenue Neutrality

Authors
Fidalgo, JNM; Saraiva, J;

Publication

Abstract
Current residential electricity tariffs often combine a flat energy price with a fixed charge linked to contracted power, resulting in electricity bills that are weakly responsive to changes in consumption. This lack of proportionality reduces incentives for energy savings and may undermine demand-side efficiency.This paper proposes a novel Power-Conditioned Pricing (PCP) tariff, in which unit energy prices depend on the power level at which electricity is consumed. By associating higher prices with higher consumption intensity, the proposed tariff introduces progressivity while preserving transparency and regulatory feasibility. The tariff is calibrated to ensure revenue neutrality with respect to the current tariff for each contracted power level.Two complementary calibration strategies are analysed: a profile-based approach using representative regulatory load profiles, and an empirical approach based on statistical distributions derived from real consumer data. To assess consumer responsiveness, electricity bills are evaluated under both vertical and horizontal consumption adjustment models.Results show that bill elasticity increases from values between 0.43–0.73 under the current tariff to values close to unity under PCP, while maintaining revenue neutrality across contracted power levels. These findings suggest that power-conditioned pricing constitutes a promising alternative to current residential tariff structures, better aligned with energy-efficiency and conservation objectives.

2026

Co-optimizing energy and reserve interconnection capacity in coupled EU electricity markets

Authors
de Oliveira, AR; Martinez, SD; Villar, J; Saraiva, JT; Campos, FA;

Publication
ENERGY

Abstract
The European Union Internal Electricity Market is undergoing major reforms to support the transition to a fully decarbonized energy system by 2050, where non-dispatchable renewable energy sources play a central role. To enhance market efficiency, renewable energy sources integration, and power system balancing, the European Union promotes increased cross-border interconnection and cooperation among Member States. This paper reviews existing literature and market models addressing multi-zone interconnection capacity allocation and proposes a novel inter-zonal co-optimization mechanism for the joint allocation of energy and automatic balancing reserve capacity based on system cost minimization. Unlike previous approaches that treat energy and reserve coordination separately or sequentially, this study introduces a unified optimization framework that captures the interdependencies of intra-and inter-zonal dispatch. The proposed mechanism is implemented within the CEVESA market model and applied to a realistic Iberian case study, assessing its economic and operational impacts under varying interconnection capacity scenarios. Results show that while energy coordination alone achieves significant cost reductions, joint coordination of energy and reserves delivers further efficiency gains, reduces reserve price volatility, and enhances cross-border system flexibility.

2026

Low ripple adaptive lead lag current controlled interleaved buck converter for PEM hydrogen electrolyzers

Authors
Elhawash, AM; Hussein, AS; Araújo, RE; Lopes, JAP;

Publication
CONTROL ENGINEERING PRACTICE

Abstract
The polarization curve characteristics of proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen electrolyzers lead to large variations in the equivalent load impedance over the operating current range. This results in a varying closed-loop system time response when traditional fixed-gain PI controllers are employed. In this work, the design and experimental validation of a 3-phase interleaved buck converter controlled via a proposed adaptive lead-lag current control strategy for a PEM hydrogen electrolyzer load is presented. The incremental load conductance method is used to obtain a control-oriented model of the converter-electrolyzer system, enabling real-time calculation of controller parameters via pole-zero cancellation and user-specified transient performance. A laboratory prototype is implemented to experimentally verify the approach under step-load changes, ramp-load changes, and 50% input voltage sag conditions. The results show less than 1% current ripple, identical transient performance over the entire operating range, and improved disturbance ride-through performance compared to a traditional PI controller. The proposed approach offers a viable and robust control solution for high-current PEM electrolyzer applications.

2026

Degradation-Aware Planning of Shared Battery Energy Storage Systems for Coordinated Transmission and Distribution System Operation

Authors
Simões, M; Peças Lopes, J; Soares, FJ;

Publication

Abstract
Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) are an important source of flexibility in power systems with high penetration of Renewable Energy Sources (RESs). When installed at transmission-distribution interface nodes, shared ESSs can support both Transmission System Operators (TSOs) and Distribution System Operators (DSOs), but their long-term planning remains challenging because investment decisions depend on coordinated operation under uncertainty and battery degradation over time. This paper proposes a degradation-aware planning framework for shared battery ESSs in coordinated TSO-DSO operation. The problem is formulated as a bi-level stochastic optimization model in which the upper level determines siting, sizing, and staged investment decisions under investment-cost uncertainty, while the lower level evaluates these decisions through coordinated system operation. To preserve tractability, the framework combines Benders' decomposition for long-term planning with an Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM)-based decentralized coordination mechanism for short-term operation. The framework is evaluated on integrated IEEE transmission-distribution test systems over a 15-year planning horizon. Relative to uncoordinated operation, coordinated operation with shared ESSs reduces operating costs by up to 18.25% and RES curtailment by up to 92.16% in the later years of the planning horizon, while eliminating voltage violations. The results also show that degradation materially affects ESS valuation and that temporal discretization can influence siting and sizing decisions.

2026

Coordinated Operation and Flexibility Management of Medium and Low Voltage Grids

Authors
Affonso, CM; Bessa, RJ; Gouveia, CS;

Publication
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS

Abstract
The connection of distributed energy resources in distribution system have been increasing significantly, requiring new approaches as market-based flexibility solutions. This paper proposes the coordinated operation of on-load tap changer and flexibility services traded in a local market for voltage regulation in medium and low voltage grid. The wider action of on-load tap changer is used to restore voltages at the medium voltage feeder based on sensitivity coefficients. If voltage violations persist, flexibilities are traded in a local energy market with a cost-effective approach, where flexibility costs are minimized, and are activated according to their effectiveness indicated by sensitivity coefficients. Sensitivity coefficients are obtained in the medium voltage using an analytical approach that can be applied to multi-phase unbalanced systems, and in the low voltage using a data-driven approach due to their limited observability. Results show the proposed approach can be an effective solution to regulate voltages, combining the wider action of on-load tap changer with local flexibility, avoiding unnecessary tap changes and requesting a small volume of flexibility services.

2026

Evolving power system operator rules for real-time congestion management

Authors
Moaidi, F; Bessa, RJ;

Publication
ENERGY AND AI

Abstract
The growing integration of renewable energy sources and the widespread electrification of the energy demand have significantly reduced the capacity margin of the electrical grid. This demands a more flexible approach to grid operation, for instance, combining real-time topology optimization and redispatching. Traditional expert-driven decision-making rules may become insufficient to manage the increasing complexity of real-time grid operations and derive remedial actions under the N-1 contingency. This work proposes a novel hybrid AI framework for power grid topology control that integrates genetic network programming (GNP), reinforcement learning, and decision trees. A new variant of GNP is introduced that is capable of evolving the decision-making rules by learning from data in a reinforcement learning framework. The graph-based evolutionary structure of GNP and decision trees enables transparent, traceable reasoning. The proposed method outperforms both a baseline expert system and a state-of-the-art deep reinforcement learning agent on the IEEE 118-bus system, achieving up to an 28% improvement in a key performance metric used in the Learning to Run a Power Network (L2RPN) competition.

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